Widened tubular knit fabric



(Specimens.)

R. W. SCOTT.

WIDBNED TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC.

i No. 398,191. Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

rUNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ROBERT IV. SCOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WIDENED TUBULA'R KNIT FABRIC.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,191, dated February 19, 1889.

Application lecl May 10, 1888. Serial No. 273,410. (Specimens.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT W'. SCOTT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in lVidened Tubular Knit Fabrics, of which the followingis aspecification.

My invention relates to widened tubular knit fabrics, and especially to that portion of the fabric where the additional or widening wales are introduced, the object of my inven- -tion being to close or cover any gaps in the fabric which may result from the introduction of the widening-wales. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an exaggerated diagram representing the objection to the ordinary manner of widening a knitted fabric, and Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views illustrating how a close texture is produced in the widened portion in accordance with my invention.

The fabric is produced upon a machine of that class in which opposite needle-beds with traveling ca1nslides and thread-guide are employed, the needles of the front row being operated and the thread applied thereto as the guide is moved along from one end of the machine to the other, while on the return movement the back needles are operated and receive the thread, the webs produced upon the front and back rows of needles being thus connected at the ends, so as to form a continuous tubular fabric.

example, supposing that in knitting the narrow portion of the tube fifty needles in each row have been in action, the widening operation can be started by lifting the needle 51 at the finishing end of the front row into opber of courses have been made and thev thread-guide is at the starting end of the back row, the needle 5l at the starting end of said back row will be drawn into operative position before the thread-guide reaches the same, so that a loop will be formed upon this extra needle, and in forming the next course in the back row this loop will be cast and a stitch drawn upon the eXtra needle, which will now remain in action, so as to widen the back web to t-he extent of one wale, and these opera tions will be repeated until the desired number of extra needles have been thrown into action and the fabric has been widened to the desired extent. It will be evident that, if desired, the widening operation maybe started on the back row instead of on the front row, this being wholly immaterial. In the diagram, Fig. 1, this method of widening is illustrated, the upright wales of stitches being numbered to correspond with the number of the needle in the front or back row upon which said wales are produced, and the horizontal courses being numbered consecutively, beginning at the bottom. It will therefore be seen, on refer ence to the diagram, that the first three courses are plain, the thread being carried directly from needle 50 of the front row to needle 50 of the back row g but in course 4 a loop is formed uponneedle 5l of the front row before the thread is carried to needle 50 of the back row, and this loop is cast off and a stitch 53 of the front row in course 20, and so on. Vhen this method of widening is adopted, however, a gap in the fabric is produced wherever an extra needle is thrown into action, owing to the fact that the thread is simply looped upon the extra needle in that course. lVhile this objection maynot be material in coarse fabrics, or in those which are subsequently subjected to a fulling or shrinking operation, it would materially detract from the appearance of A[ine fabric; hence, in order to close the gaps in the fabric, I form at each widenin operation an extraloop in one of the standing wales adjacent to the widening walc or wales being introduced, as hereinafter described, and I am thus enabled not only to draw together said standing wales, so as to decrease the size of the opening' which would otherwise be formed, but I' also throw a thread across said opening, and thus practically close the saine.

Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawii'lgs are diagrams illustrating two plans which I have used in carrying out my invention.

On reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the first three courses are plain, as in the diagram, Fig. l. Before the thread-guide reaches needle 50 of the front row in knitting course il, however, not only is needle 5l. in this row raised so as to take the thread, but needle 50 in the back row is also brought forward, so that it will receive the thread before the latter is applied to needle 51 of the front row, it being understood that the needles in the back row work in the spaces between the needles in the front row, so that when needle 50 of the back row is advanced it occupies a position between needle 50 and needle 5I'of the front row. In consequence of this it will be seen that the thread is carried across the opening between wale 50 of the front row and wale 50 of the back row, so as to form an extra loop in wale 50 of the back row, the thread being then brought back to form on needle 5l of the front row the first loop of the first additional or widcningwale 5l. As the guide is then moved along over the needles oi' the back row, both the regular stitch and the additional loop on needle 50 of said back row are cast off as said needle is operated in the ordinary way. After the formation of any desired number of plain courses-say in course 8, as shown in the diagram-needle 5l of the back row is brought into action when the thread-guideis at the starting end of the back row, and at the same time needle 5l of the front row is raised, so that on the movement of the guide the thread, after forming a loop around needle 5l. of the back row, will lay a loop around needle 5l of the front rowbefore applying the thread to needle 50 of the back row, said .needle 51 of the front row casting both of its loops when it draws its stitch in course 9, and the needle 5l of the back row also casting its loop onto a loop in said course 9, so as to add another widening-Wale to the fabric. These operations are repeated as additional wales are introduceil, the last acting needle of' the back row receiving a loop just in advance of each new needle brought into action in the front row and the last acting needle of the front row receiving a loop immediately after the looping of the thread around each new needle brought into action in the back row. r

The fabric shown in diagram, Fig. 3, although embodying the same principle as that shown in Fig. 2, so far as regards the drawing of the extra loop at each widening, is produced in a simpler manner, and is hence preferable to the fabric shown in Fig. 2.

In making the fabric Fig. 3 the widening operation is started in course et by bringing' new needle l of the back row into action when the guide is at the starting end of said back row and throwing in needle 50 of the front row ahead of needle 50 of the back row, so as to receive the extra stitch; but instead of forming several plain courses before bringing needle 5l of the front row into action, this latter needle is thrown into action at once and receives its loop in the next course, 5, this loep being caught and held by the loop thrown off from the new needle 5l of the back row in said course 5, and a stitch being drawn through it in making course 6, as shown. The widening-wales are thus practically started in pairs, instead of singly, as in the fabric shown in Fig. 2, and in this respect, also, the fabric shown in Fig. 3 is preferable in some cases to the other.

The fabric may be widened in two portions instead of one by throwing in additional needles at both ends of the rows of needles, instead of at one end only, as described.

In makin the fabrics shown in 2 and 3 it should be understood that the needles which receive the extra loops in the wales adjacent to the widening-wales are not, in order to receive said loops, raised to such an extent as to slip back of their latches the stitches already on the needles, or, if so raised, are then not drawn down so as to cast their stitches, and although this mode of'working is not absolutely essential to the proper carrying out of my invention it has been deemed best to refer to it in order to explain the formation of the double-loop stitches shown at the widening-points.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A tubular knitted fabric widened by the introduction of additional wales and having at each such widening an extra loop drawn in one of the adjacent standing wales, the thread being carried from said extra loop across the space formed by the widening- IOO IIO

wale to the standing wale on the opposite side f of said widening-Wale, substantially as speciiied. v

2. A tubular knitted fabric widened by the introduction of additional pairs of wales, the

wales of euch pail.' starting' in SnCC-essive Intestiinony \vl1e1-o0fiim\'e signed mynzune Courses, and the thread, after simtingthe first- 110 this specification in the presence of inve sub- Wale of the pair, being drawn inte an extra scribing' Witnesses.

100D in a standing Wale at one side of the said ROBERT \V. SCOTT. 5 Widening-Wale, and then Crossed to a stnndw\\'itnesses:

ing' Wale 0n the Opposite Side of the saine, ail, VILLIAM D. CONNER,

snbszmnaiaily :1s specified. HARRY SMITH. 

